Included on this page are official proficiency badges given to soldiers who have completed various course of study and skills tests. I don't have a picture of every variety of badge, so I welcome any help!The best (only?) resource for these badges is Orders and Medals of Japan and Associated States by James Peterson (get the third edition). However, Peterson doesn't mention the dates when the badges were established nor does he note the different classes (if any). I'll try and fill in those gaps here as best as I can.

Model 1887 Shooting Badges. See below, too.Note the differences in the coloring and stamen size, for example.

Army Proficiency Badges陸軍徽章

Some reverses. Note the wide pinback. A thin, sharp pin most likely indicates a replica. However, some better replicas have the appropriate reverse.

Swordsmanship BadgesEstablished Showa 9 [1934].Differences in color probably indicate the class, and differences in material indicate age. The aluminum badges are most likely late war manufacture.

Shooting BadgeEstablished Showa 4 [1929].

'NCO badge.'

'2nd Class badge.'

The most commonly seen Army Proficiency badge is certainly the Sharpshooting badge. It is called by a variety of names, such as marksman badge, sniper badge, shooting badge as well as others.The Japanese name suggests that 'Shooting badge' may be the most literal translation, but anyway proficiency shooting firearms is the main idea. The full Japanese title reads 'Infantry and Engineer, Shooting Drill Badge.'

From what I have heard, this award has gone through a number of different changes. I will list what I have read, but the information is secondary so I haven't confirmed it.

1882: No badge. Just a chevron on the right sleeve1886: A round medal w crossed rifles instituted1887: The chevron was discontinued1888: A pin-back version with crossed rifles on cherry blossom begins. This is the widely-known design.There were design changes in 1895, 1912, 1929, and 1941.Before 1912 the class was engraved on the reverse, but later this was only indicated on the box. And of course the color scheme indicated the class.The 1929 version has a thicker, sturdier blossom with a pebbled texture.The 1941 version was aluminum.

As you can see by the illustrations found in Japanese Army publications, there were four classes.

Field Artillery Observers Badge with original case.The English translation of the name of this badge appears to be slightly wrong. A more accurate (but perhaps less smooth) rendering would be 'Field Artillery Gun Sight Badge.'

'Field Artillery Rapid Firing Badge.'These resemble the badge above, but there are differences in the cannon bases and tips.

Contrast this badge with the ones above. The cannons are plain. This is the 'Light Mortar [keihaku in Japanese] Gun Sight Badge.'

Peterson names this a 'Light Mortar Badge' but the Japanese source named this as a light morter gun sight award (not a firing award).

Army Proficiency Sharpshooting Badge award document. Given to Army Infantry Private 1st Class Sakamoto Haruyoshi by the 24th Regiment, 4th Company. The document is dated Taisho 6 [1917] October 28.

Peterson identifies this as the Model 1895 Heavy Artillery Observer Badge, though his line drawing is upside-down (pg. 105). He describes it as having a pebbled background, so this one may be a later model.